5 Ways Being a Dad is a Lot Like Science

Sometimes we limit our understanding of science to the moment of discovery and we forget that discoveries are the product of curiosity.

The fact is, most discoveries lead to still more questions. At the end of the day, good scientists typically find themselves with a bunch more questions than they started with.

Being an AllProDad is a lot like that. We’re never going to know everything there is to know about parenting. But that’s okay. We keep learning anyway because being a dad is more about the journey than the destination. It turns out the point isn’t about getting everything right; instead it’s about taking our children by the hand and heading down the road, together, learning as we go. So, here are 5 ways being a dad is a lot like science:

1. Good dads ask great questions.

The first step to discovery is rarely instantaneous insight. The first step is typically a problem that led to questions, and then questions that led to great ideas. So don’t be afraid to go to your kids with honest questions rather than feeling like you should hand out tidy answers all the time.

2. The answers we need are not always in a book.

Scientists spend more time in the lab than they do in the library because that’s where life happens.

3. We try hard to keep our minds open.

All Pro Dads are like scientists because they keep one eye open for the unexpected. All Pro Dads recognize that parenting is a life-long learning experience, and they know that relationships around them begin to close down the moment they close off their minds to fresh ideas.

4. Being wrong is the best next step to getting it right.

Scientists who are afraid to make mistakes seldom learn anything important. When dads arrange their lives in such a controlled fashion that they all but eliminate the possibility of making a mistake, then they all but eliminate the possibility of growth.

5. When the light goes on, all the effort is worth it.

There’s a moment when the light goes on and that moment is beautiful. The light may go on in our child’s spirit or it may go on in our own. Such moments can be few and far between, and then sometimes they come in cascades. But, they always come in response to the work, the open-heartedness, the research, and the time invested.

Related Resource: What’s to Love About Being a Dad

 

 

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“What’s the biggest question/problem you have about being a kid?” Then ask, “If we were scientists, how would we begin to solve this together?”